The gunman alleged to have slaughtered 12 people during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises worked as a counselor at a summer camp for underprivileged children, it emerged today.

James Holmes was described as 'shy and reserved' by a fellow counselor at Camp Max Straus near Glendale, California, where he spent a summer while studying at the University of California, Riverside in 2008.

Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles, the organisation which runs the camp, has confirmed that Holmes, then aged 20, was in charge of 10 children aged between seven and 14.

Camp counselor: James Holmes, right, pictured with another worker at Camp Max Straus in summer 2008

The group said in a statement: 'His role was to insure that these children had a wonderful camp
experience by helping them learn confidence, self esteem and how to work
in small teams to effect positive outcomes.'

They added that the activities Holmes and the other counselors were involved with included swimming, horseback riding and other sports.

A spokesman for the organisation said that Holmes, who leapt to national notoriety after allegedly launching an attack on a movie theatre which injured 58 in Aurora, Colorado, had had no disciplinary problems while at Camp Max Straus.

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'It is with shock and sorrow that we learned of the incident in Aurora,' the spokesman said. 'Our hearts and prayers go out to all the families and
friends of those involved in this horrible tragedy.'

Although pictures of Holmes from the camp appear to show him fitting in with the other counselors, one of those who worked with him said that always seemed very separate from the group.

'The entire staff was really close, considering we lived together - except
for James,' the counselor told NBC News. 'He
really kept to himself and hardly ever went on any trips with the rest
of the staff. He was very shy and reserved.'

She added: 'It is sickening knowing that he killed kids the same age that he once cared for.'

Group: But Holmes, pictured seventh from the left, was described as 'shy and reserved' by a fellow counselor

The new details about Holmes's past add to the picture of the 24-year-old PhD student who was described as 'really smart' but was in the process of dropping out of graduate school at the University of Colorado Denver.

He is said to have had few friends and barely any social life, instead spending hours indoors playing the video game Guitar Hero.

Police are still baffled as to Holmes's motives for launching the deadly attack, but
one clue may come in a report that the killer, whose family comes from
San Diego, had dyed his hair red and described himself as 'the Joker',
implying that he was inspired by the popular Batman series itself.

Although Holmes described himself as
'easy-going', neighbours and classmates recalled an anti-social recluse
who had little contact with others.

Killer: 24-year-old James Holmes is a PhD dropout who apparently compared himself to the Joker

'Easy-going': Those who knew Holmes, pictured left in a yearbook, said he did not seem like a potential killer

Officials do not currently believe that the gunman had terror links, adding to the mystery of his possible motives.

'It clearly looks like a deranged individual,' NYPD police chief Ray Kelly said. 'He had his hair painted red. He said he was "The Joker", obviously the enemy of Batman.'

A neighbour also reported that
police, who were searching Holmes's apartment for explosives, asked him
if he had seen 'a white guy with crazy hair, possibly dyed unnatural
colors', the Denver Post said.

But
neighbours at university housing in Denver described Holmes as a
recluse who kept himself to himself. One student said: 'No one knew him.
No one.'

Investigation: Police are looking into this adult website profile to find out if it is belongs to Holmes

Trail of blood: A line of blood leads from the emergency exit of the cinema, from where James Holmes launched his killing spree, and past the suspect's car

Holmes - who had been working towards his PhD for a year before dropping out - had one techno song blaring from his stereo in the hours before the massacre and left the music on repeat in his booby-trapped apartment as he departed to commit the massacre.

He was also reportedly addicted to video game Guitar Hero.

His shocked mother in San Diego confirmed that he was behind the massacre, telling reporters: 'You've got the right man.'

After graduating from Westview High
School in 2006, Holmes studied neuroscience at the University of
California Riverside, where he graduated with honours.

Neighbours in California said that Holmes moved to Colorado to attend graduate school after failing to find a job.

The university said he was dropping out because of academic issues, and had not had any disciplinary problems.

Family: Holmes's grandmother, pictured, was seen entering and exiting the family home in San Diego

Home: The house in San Diego where Holmes grew up before headed to college at UC Riverside

The gunman described himself as 'quiet and easy-going' in a rental application last year, and high school classmates confirmed that impression in interviews with the Los Angeles Times.

Dan Kim, currently a student at UC San Diego, said: 'He didn't seem like a troublemaker at all. He just seemed like he wanted to get in and out, and go to college.'

Holmes ran in Westview's cross country team with Tori Burton, who said: 'He was very quiet. He was a nice guy when you did occasionally talk to him. But he was definitely more introverted.'

Another classmate, Keith Goodwin,
spoke of his shock at seeing the 'generally pleasant' young man hit the
news for his role in the massacre.

'James was certainly not someone I would have ever imagined shooting somebody,' Mr Goodwin said.

Holmes has only ever had contact with police over a traffic violation, according to the New York Times, who spoke to two law-enforcement officials about the gunman.

'He’s
not on anybody’s radar screen,' said one official, while the other
added: 'This guy is somewhat of an enigma. Nobody knows anything about
him.'

Dark Knight: Holmes was apparently dressed as the Joker, bottom, when he attacked the Batman screening

The killer's family appealed for privacy as they described their anguish at seeing Holmes involved in massacre.

'Our hearts go out to those who were involved in this tragedy and to the families and friends of those involved,' they said in a statement released by San Diego police. 'We ask that the media respect our privacy during this difficult time.

'Our family is cooperating with authorities in both San Diego, California and Aurora, Colorado. We are still trying to process this information and we appreciate that people will respect our privacy.'

Jackie Mitchell, a furniture mover who lives several blocks from the suspect's apartment building in Colorado, said he had drinks with Holmes at a local bar on Tuesday night, though he gave no sign of being distressed or violent.

After Holmes approached him 'we just talked about football. He had a backpack and geeky glasses and seemed like a real intelligent guy, and I figured he was one of the college students,' Mr Mitchell said.

When Mr Mitchell saw Holmes's photo after the shooting, 'the hair stood up on my back,' he said. 'I know this guy.'

Another neighbour, Rachel Reed, said she met Holmes in a local bar when she put rap music by Lil Wayne on the jukebox.

He came over and 'made some racially charged comments about rap,' she said. 'He seemed like he was a normal dude. He was a little buzzed.'

Holmes is not talking to police and has asked for a lawyer, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.